St Mungo's Miracle
by wobbles11
Summary: Draco is a Healer at St. Mungos when Harry gets injured and needs attention. That had been the first time they'd met since the trials after the Battle of Hogwarts, and both boys had changed quite a bit. OOC Draco OOC Harry. Story is better than Summary :)
1. Time set in Motion

This is my first story! I am super happy with how this turned out, and even if I suck with grammar and everything like that I'm happy with how this turned out. Draco and Harry are both very OOC but that's to be expected when you change the story up a bit lol, but for my first story I hope people aren't too critical. If you decide to read this thank you! Lynn 3 **ALSO! I CHANGED THE STORY SO NOW THE FIRST CHAPTER IS SPLIT INTO TWO CHAPTERS FINALLY! I was struggling to find a place to split it and finally found it. So if you read it already you can move to chapter 3 once its up, which should be soon this week.**

I don't own Harry Potter, that is exclusively for J. K. Rowling

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Years had passed since the Battle for Hogwarts, and while many lives were lost, everyone who had fought was changed. Some for the better, some worse. Draco Black, as he'd stopped using his father's last name because of the stigma behind it, had dedicated his life to doing better for those around him. Sounds like a strange thing for him to do, after how he'd treated many of the other witches and wizards at Hogwarts during his time there. However it was during his family's trials with the Wizengamot, that he realized that he needed to change himself, if he wanted to survive in a world where people like him were persecuted.

His father gave his life up for Draco's mother and him, saying that he was the person who dragged his family into the servitude of Voldemort, and claiming they hadn't done it willingly. It was then that a freshly appointed Auror, one Harry Potter, was called on to testify for the family. He claimed that both Draco and his mother Narcissa aided him in his battle, even if it was to save their own lives. This is what tipped the scales in their favor, and while Draco, by nature and pride, hated to be in Potter's debt, he knew that at that point he owed him his life. It wasn't long after the trial that Draco turned to St. Mungo's, and began his training as a Healer. It was hard work, and with his specialty never being with healing, he had to work twice as hard at it. Luckily he found a use for his potion making skills, and he never was half bad at transfiguration, and was able to use that to help him move up in the ranks of the Healers in training. Admittedly at first he tried to give up. He'd been stubborn, and quick to act towards anyone who seemed to be judging him, and it made it difficult for anyone else who was in training to work with him. It wasn't until two unlikely boys that he'd known for years stepped forward and begrudgingly helped in his learning. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were never fond of Malfoy, or Black as he'd started to call himself, claiming it was his mother's last name. The boys helped, knowing that in some ways Draco meant well, and through these two Draco began to see the world less like his parents and more like his peers.

After a good 5 years in training, and another two attempting to prove he was worth the effort, Draco finally made it up to Head Healer in the Emergency Theater, which was a difficult position to obtain. Dean and Seamus took a lot of the credit for Draco's success, having become quite friendly with the boy, mostly because they worked hard on changing his perspective on life. It was in one of the rare idle moments in his office that the alarm sounded for a code grey. Swearing as he spat his tea out Draco stood and threw his coat on, making record time to the doors.

"What's the call?" Draco ordered, hoping someone had information before they were thrown into something.

"Severely burned Auror, no one has said who it is, however they said he was one of the Head Aurors. Took a direct shot of fiendfyre from a drunken dark wizard." The Mediwizard commented. Draco held his breath, knowing that most of the Aurors ended up in his ward anyway, mostly because of their inability to use a blasted shield when they fought, not because they actually couldn't but because most were too stubborn.

"When will they arrive?" Draco asked, preparing a room for the man before he got to St. Mungo's.

"Within the minute I would assume, they are going to floo him in they said. The parchment arrived just a moment ago." The clerk muttered. She'd always hated Draco, mostly because of the tattoo he'd had on his arm. However after a year in training, and ill hidden hate, Draco figured out a way to remove the Dark Mark from his arm. It left his skin scarred and nasty looking, however he knew it was better than the blasted tattoo. The fireplace lit up as the green flames showed four Aurors, one with distinctly bright red hair, carrying a fifth man on a stretcher. What they failed to report was that this Auror was Harry Potter. Also that he'd had a chunk missing from his arm, as well as burns covering the majority of his body.

"Report. NOW!" Draco snapped, using his authority in the ward to command those involved of what happened.

"We turned our backs for one second sir, only one, and it was then that Harry noticed he'd not been subdued. He took the attack for me sir." Ron squeaked, not looking up to see who he'd been talking to.

"Room 6, now, I have the potions and burn remedies prepared. He will need skelegrow and Episkey, however he will also need a poultice of dittany and I really hope, he's unconscious because if he isn't I'm putting him out." Draco instructed his staff, knowing that they would be quick to get to the supplies they needed. Weasel, or Weasley as Draco probably should call him, looked up finally and was about to say something however closed his mouth within a second.

"Never realized I was the Head Healer for Ward 4 did you." Draco smirked, and pat the man standing in front of him on the back awkwardly.

"My job is to heal, and that's what I'm going to do. If it would make you feel better, I'll have my second in charge handle Auror Potters healing, however I am more skilled." Weasley narrowed his eyes and used a moment of hesitation on Draco's part to pin him to the wall, a wand at his neck and a growl escaping his lips. Dean, who heard that Harry was in the hospital, came running over and attempted to break the two wizards apart, however Auror training had done wonders for the once awkward and gangly boy. Ron now stood taller than most of the wizards around him, spare Dean of course, and his stature was one of someone who'd done some serious working out.

"Ron! BLOODY HELL he's the head Healer for the Hospital! You can't just go around pointing your wand at someone who could be the only one to save Harry's life! Plus, he's not so bad anymore! Doesn't even have the Mark!" Dean shouted at his friend, hoping to get through to him. Ron reached down and tore a hole in Draco's scrubs, right above where the mark had been. As the marred skin came into view Ron realized the extent of Draco's commitment. He'd disfigured his own skin in order to get rid of the mark. He'd gone the complete opposite route from where everyone assumed he'd go. Draco disappeared after his trial, to dedicate his time to healing. Ron never would have called that, and he still didn't trust the guy, however he knew that if he wanted Harry to live, he'd let it go this one time.

"Fine. You'll heal him, but after that you will stay away! Can't have you finding a way into Harry's life when its hard enough without you!" Ron shouted and left the hospital wing, probably going to grab a cup from the pub. Draco rubbed his neck where the wand had been thrusted, and rolled his shoulders. With a sigh he turned and started towards the room he'd placed Harry in and took up helping heal the wounds to his torso and legs. Using every potion and magical poultice at his disposal, he was able to treat Harry's burns, and began healing the lack of bones in part of his arm. The skin was being grafted back, and while it would take a small while before he would leave, namely a night to make sure everything healed the way it should, he'd be right as rain. Draco slumped into the chair next to Harry's bed, watching the way his chest rose and fell in a normal fashion. It reassured him that his choice in career was one he'd never regret. Tired as he was, he was proud of his work, knowing that the boy he'd tormented, the boy who'd saved his life, would live and work another day.

"Stupid Potter, you and your blasted hero complex will get you killed. Not today though. Not while I'm working." Draco muttered and stood to leave the room, knowing his shift had ended hours ago. He closed the door after him and informed the others waiting in the hallway that he'd be fine, and would be awake in the morning, and to leave the hospital because they were crowding the hallway. Ron was the only one who'd stayed, claiming he wasn't going to leave his best friends side. That sent a pang of longing through Draco, mostly because he didn't have any close friends. While at Hogwarts Crabb and Goyle followed him around, however they weren't really his friends. Dean and Seamus were closer friends, however they weren't all that close to him. After a few more rounds in the Ward, mostly to make sure the ruckus of earlier events didn't disturb other patients, Draco made it back to his office to find a potted plant outside his doorway. It looked mildly familiar however he was too exhausted to care. He grabbed it without knowing what else to do with it, however when the tendrils of the plant shot out and grabbed him around the neck he'd realized that it was a devils snare plant. Somehow someone had snuck it into the hospital. Reaching for his wand he attempted to use a bluebell flame spell, however he couldn't quite get it. He was struggling to keep breathing as the plant constricted tighter around his neck when he heard a voice behind him that he'd known only too well.

"Incendio!" The voice called, and a jet of flames hit the pot, making it fall to the ground and making the plant shrivel away from his neck. Draco dropped to the ground, gasping and holding his neck. He'd never expected to get attacked in the hospital, he had to admit it was one of the only two places he'd ever be, but he didn't expect an attack in plain sight.

"Auror Potter, you should be in bed, you aren't healed yet." Draco spoke, his voice harsh because of the crushing pressure from the devils snare.

"And if I was in bed, the man who saved my life would have died." Harry spoke, his voice deeper than it had been in school.

"Don't think I'm not grateful, I am, but as a Healer I have every right to have you bound to the bed to make sure you don't go anywhere." He muttered in response, turning to look at the bandaged man. His eyes were still the bright emerald green they had been for years, and while his hair was growing back, it was as unruly as ever. It looked soft though, and while Draco had been tempted to touch it when he was certain Harry was unconscious, he knew better. Not many men liked the touch of another man, and while Draco knew when to pick his battles, most of the time, this one he knew better than to fight.

"I'm standing aren't I? You are the one who seems to be struggling." Harry stepped forward and pulled Draco to his feet with his good hand.

"How's life as a Healer Malfoy?" Harry asked. Draco flinched, not unnoticed by the other man, and sighed.

"I go by my mothers last name now. Not my fathers." He muttered, knowing that Harry knew his mothers last name.

"Sometimes I forget that you are related to him. Sirius, I mean. He was your Uncle." Harry murmured, he'd taken the news better than Draco thought he would.

"Although if I'm going to call you anything, I'd rather Draco over 'Black', any day. Mostly because it sounds better." Harry pat his shoulder and turned around.

"I'm beat, and my hair growing back is making my head itch, so I'm going back to sleep. Ron's passed out in the hallway anyway. Later Head Healer Draco." Harry wandered off, back to the room. Draco couldn't help but stare in the direction he'd walked. That was twice that Potter had saved his life and now he was once again in his debt. There was a pause and Draco slumped to the floor next to his office door. He wasn't surprised that someone had attempted to kill him. It wasn't uncommon that he was still targeted by many good and bad wizards alike, however the hospital has been careful as to not get one of their best healers killed. He stood up and after looking at the time, decided to buy a bottle of firewhiskey on his way home, and get absolutely smashed. He didn't work the next morning, and the events of the night had caused a lot of stress for him. Grabbing his leather jacket off the hook, he replaced his white coat with it and walked out of the hospital.

The next morning the headache he had could only be described as the worst pain in his life. Even Buckbeak the Hippogriff nearly clawing his arm off (an event he'd wished he could relive) didn't hurt as bad as his hangover. He didn't remember most of last night, however considering he was still in his home he figured it wasn't too bad of a night. Waking up naked wasn't too uncommon, he found himself sweating too much in the night, and ending up with no clothes usually meant he'd had a nightmare. Luckily he'd knocked himself out, and no dreams came. He shuffled around the room a bit, attempting to use a charm he'd developed a year ago to fix his splitting headache, but finding it difficult because of his headache. He'd developed a bit of a mastery over wandless magic, no elemental spells could be used yet, but simple levitation spells and summoning spells were easy now, and the charm that he was still attempting to use. After a while, he gave up and went down to his kitchen to fix a potion that he could pour into his coffee so that he could go about his day as normal. Soon the headache was down to a dull roar, the smell of coffee alone helped to wake him up, and the use of the potion was going to help eventually. After having taken a warm shower and putting on some better clothing, Draco ran a hand through his still slightly wet hair, and set out to do the shopping that was long overdue to him. Whenever he shopped he never went into the wizarding stores, knowing that people wouldn't sell to him anyway, he went to muggle stores, knowing that as far as food goes he could buy everything he needed there, and he did have muggle money anyway.

"Would never expect to see you here." A familiar voice popped up behind him. Draco turned around to see Neville Longbottom, a professor at Hogwarts and the owner of a Herb shop in Diagon Alley.

"Neville, you look well." Draco said politely, making sure that his voice stayed friendly enough and neutral.

"Heard you healed Harry last night. I'm sure that was hard for you." Neville commented, not afraid to speak his mind.

"It wasn't hard, its my duty, and anything I did when I was a child and stupid I'm trying to repay to people now. That's why I only really ever go out to shop and to go to work." Draco murmured, knowing that Neville could hear him. He lived a solitary life, one where he didn't have to have someone with him. He could never imagine putting someone else in a position where they could be hurt because of him, never again at least.

"That sounds lonely, and sad." Neville glanced at him critically.

"It's the only life one can live when no one likes you. I don't expect people to want to be around me, especially because of my mistakes, so the life I live is for the best of everyone else." Draco spoke, pausing to sniff an apple to make sure it was still good. The shopping had become a habit, using the same list every time, he never really changed things up. If it worked, why would he need to.

"You need to get out more. I'm not just saying that because I have students who do the same thing because of who their parents were, or are, I'm saying that because its obvious that you are going to commit yourself to dying lonely. And no one deserves that life. You have given yourself a second chance, and already proved that you are worth it. Why not go out with a group of us tonight, its nothing big, Harry was released this morning, so it was going to be Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Dean, Seamus and me. Honestly, they are all good people. You should come." Neville put his hand on Draco's shoulder.

"We are meeting at the Leaky Cauldron at 7, it would be nice to see you there. I'll have a talk with Ron as well." Neville pulled his hand away and left. Draco couldn't help but think that the night wasn't going to go as the tall professor had planned, and he was lucky that it was summer break from school, or else the students would never let him live that embarrassment down. _What else have I got to lose, but my dignity? If I haven't lost that already._ Draco thought to himself, feeling as if he should stop in and say it was a coincidence. The rest of the day went the same way, with Draco attempting to come up with different excuses for why he would be in the same pub as the other people he'd tormented all through school. None of them sounded good enough though, and Draco realized that he wasn't going to be able to get out of it without upsetting Neville in some way. Resigning himself to going, Draco spent a little while attempting to find the right clothes to not come off as a pompous arsehole, but also to look like he wanted to be there. A pair of dark jeans with brown boots, accompanied by a tan, thin but long sleeved shirt with a few buttons over his chest under his leather coat would have to be good enough. He didn't bother shaving, light blonde stubble being the only thing he seemed to have to worry about, and he never bothered to slick his hair back anymore, keeping it swept to one side and out of the way enough to where he didn't care. Grabbing his wallet and his keys he left for the Leaky Cauldron.

"What could possibly make you think we'd want to associate with that prick Neville? Why the hell would you even invite him!" Ron's voice carried to the door. Draco knew this wasn't going to go well, but he figured if he wanted to remedy anything he'd done in the past, moving forward would have to do the trick.

"Because he's lonely! He has no friends and spends so much of his time working he can't possibly be bad anymore! Ron, you don't work with kids, you don't understand the mentality of what went on when we were in school. I see this everyday and trust me, Malfoy isn't inherently bad. If he were he wouldn't be a Healer for gods sake!" Neville stepped in.

"Draco. Or Black if you wish to use a last name. I go by my mothers now." Draco stepped forward, letting everyone know that he was there. Ginny sat next to Dean, his arm around her shoulders and a small smile on his face. Seamus stood and shook his hand, knowing that this would be hard on the other Healer. Harry nodded to Draco, and seemed to be sizing him up and down, before turning to whisper something to Hermione, who sat next to him and Ron. As it would happen, Ron was seething, and stood up and grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him away.

"I don't know what game you are trying to play, but if I hear one word about something bad you've done in the last 5 years, heresy or not, I will have you interrogated and locked up in Azkaban for the rest of your life." Ron threatened, to which Draco's eyes widened. He'd spent so much time in the hospital that there couldn't possibly be any evidence, but the fear of being locked up again would never leave him. Draco stepped back and turned to leave, until Neville, Harry and Hermione walked up.

"RONALD! What ever happened to being civil?! You're not on the job right now, so how about acting as a regular human being rather than a bloody arsehole!" Hermione snapped, glaring her husband down fiercely. Auror or not, nothing could bring more fear to Ron than his wife.

"Sorry about him. I've been trying to talk to him about what happened but he refuses to listen." Hermione apologized, looking at Draco with pity in her eyes. She'd gotten prettier since leaving Hogwarts, and looked so much happier. Draco gave her a sad smile.

"Maybe it would be better if I hadn't come. I don't mean to cause problems for all of you. I'm so sorry for disrupting your night. I'm glad to see that you are doing well now Harry. Neville, thank you for the invite. Maybe another time. Hermione, thank you for defending me, but I really don't deserve it." Draco muttered and turned away, but not before getting hit by a body binding spell.

"Did you think we were going to let you leave that easily? Ron can go shove his wand up his arse, we wanted you to celebrate with us because you are the one who saved me." Harry walked over, using another touch with his wand to release the spell.

"Why would anyone want me around?" Draco asked, this question was the one the solidified the thoughts that Harry and Hermione had been having all day. Draco was not the same person as Malfoy.

"You aren't the same person you were all those years ago, not even close, we wanted to try to get to know the you that you are now." Harry spoke, nudging the other man towards the table with his hand on the small of his back. Draco resigned and allowed himself to be brought back. He thought the touch was a little more familiar than it needed to be, however he didn't care all that much. In his mind it was better than a boot to the ass towards the door. He followed the taller man to the table they'd secured in the corner and sat down as far away from the still seething red haired man as possible.

"Harry, Neville, I think I'm going to take Ronald home, he's obviously still not off of work mode, so I will catch up with you later. It really was a pleasure to see you Draco. I'm glad to see things have worked out for you." Hermione stood, grabbing her estranged husband by his bicep and leading him to the door. Draco waved politely in their direction before sighing. When the waitress returned, a pretty, young thing with her hair done in a loose bun on the back of her head, Draco ordered a double straight firewhiskey and a salad wrap. He didn't plan on getting drunk but he found that he rarely drank "light" nowadays.

"Head Healer at St. Mungos. How did you accomplish that?" Harry asked, turning the conversation away from where it had been.

"I'd like to take some credit for that." Both Dean and Seamus managed to get out at the same time. Draco chuckled softly, astonished that he'd actually been able to laugh easily with this group. Harry took notice of this, having never heard a genuine laugh out of the blonde man.

"I struggled a lot to be frank. Healing isn't a strong suit, potions and transfiguration though I was good at, so I worked hard to get to the level I'm at. If only for the sake of everyone else. The pay isn't great, and while yeah it's a job and I take pride in what I do, I'm not doing it for me." Draco trailed off at the end, realizing for himself that he hadn't really done anything for himself since he'd left Hogwarts. Harry nodded, scratching at his still slightly itchy head.

"If you are still itchy I can whip up a potion to help it go away, it really wouldn't be hard, I could have it for you tomorrow." Draco commented, noticing the dark haired man scratching still.

"If you could that would be great, but I don't want to pressure you." Harry smiled, his eyes sparkling slightly in the lower light of the pub.

"Its not a problem, Draco is the fastest at potions making in the hospital. Hell if he had the stuff now he'd have it done in a half hour tops." Seamus slapped Draco's back roughly, an obvious sign of affection from the Scot. Draco gave him a smile in return, and noticed that the waitress had returned with his order. She made an obvious attempt at attention by reaching across the table to place it down in front of him, while exposing a small amount of her cleavage. Slightly put off he turned away and thanked her, more interested in his drink than he was by her show.

"Wow, you really are a ladies man aren't you." Dean smirked, while Ginny, who had been silent up until that point regarded him critically. The young witch had made Quiddich history and was one of the top female players in the world. On top of that she was a brilliant journalist, well on her way to becoming top editor for the local news. Draco rarely paid attention, but every time something caught his eye it was written by her.

"Draco, can we speak?" She asked, removing Deans arm from her shoulder. She leaned over and placed a peck on his forehead before grabbing Draco's arm and walking him over to the bar top.

"What was it you needed to talk about? Is it medical?" Draco asked, preparing a spell to analyze her as they spoke.

"No, oh no no no, that's not why I asked you over here. I wanted to get your opinion on something. You see, Dean is a great guy, and I was wondering if you could help me pick out a good gift for him for his birthday." She asked, pointing at his glass, which he'd taken with him from the table, and asking for one of the same.

"Why not ask Seamus, or Harry? They know more about Dean than I do. How long have you two been together?" Draco asked, actually wondering because last he'd checked she'd been head over heels for tall dark and stupid.

"Because Seamus is an idiot and doesn't know a good gift if it hit him in the face. Harry is also an idiot when it comes to gifts. And plus I wanted to hear from you. Also, we've been together for 4 years now." She waved her hand dismissively. Obviously she'd spent a lot of time with them together to come to that conclusion. Neville sat next to Harry and looked like they were having a riveting conversation. Draco stared for a moment before getting back to the conversation at hand.

"I'd say something jewelry related. A necklace maybe, something that shows you care about him, but something practical too. Nothing huge and gaudy, nothing way over the top. A simple chain with a small simple pendant. If its his type, something masculine. You know, I don't tend to give or receive a lot of gifts, so I'm not the best go to." Draco spoke, downing his drink after finishing. Ginny nodded approvingly before touching his hand.

"I want you to know, I'm aware of the fact that women aren't your thing. I also just wanted to say that you don't have to hide it." She smiled reassuringly, and Draco had to cough to keep from choking.

"I wasn't really hiding it you know. I just know when to keep attractions away from social settings. I'm not exactly trying to act a certain way, I am me." He spoke, wiping a bit of alcohol off of his chin after he'd spat it out.

"Alrighty then. Thank you for the advice, and know that if you ever need a break from work, you can chat with me." She smiled and went back to the table. Draco sighed and put his head in his hands. It had been a long and relatively uneventful day, and maybe drinking off a hangover isn't the best idea, however that was the only one he had. Ordering another drink he downed that one, ordered a third, and wandered back to the table. Ginny smiled at him and the conversations continued pretty generally. Asking about work and home-life.

Draco admitted to having gotten a kitten at some point in the last year, saying it helped a bit with the quiet home. He pulled a picture out of his wallet, probably where one would normally keep a picture of a family member or a significant other. He named it Hesti, after the Greek goddess of the hearth Hestia. She was a white cat with strangely black paws tail and ears. Her eyes were a brilliant green. Harry smiled and said he'd want to meet the cat that tamed Draco. Ginny's smile widened at this and said she'd want to meet her too. Draco smiled and said it would be a good visit. He mentally made a note to tidy up the house first. Soon it was getting later and while Draco didn't work tomorrow, both Seamus and Dean did, so that brought their numbers down to three. Conversations died a little then, finding it hard to get common ground without anything relatable to talk about.

"So….how have you been outside of work? Any relationships?" Neville asked, having had a few to drink and obviously not a heavy weight.

"No, been focused on work so much no one's come along. Not that any guy would want me anyway." Draco shrugged, finishing of his fourth drink, and thinking of slowing down soon.

"Naw man. You can't think like that. You got that waitresses attention, obviously you're attractive enough." Harry spoke, his voice getting a little slurred with alcohol as well. Over the years Draco's tolerance of alcohol had gone from nonexistent to resilient. It took the whole bottle of firewhiskey to get him where he wanted, and a few drinks at the pub wasn't doing it.

"Its not physical attraction I'm worried about mate." Draco muttered, realizing he'd gotten pretty friendly with the two guys he sat with.

"Then what is there to worry about? Most people now don't even remember who all took part in that fight anyways." Neville spoke, head drifting down slightly. Draco sighed and spoke a spell towards Neville, helping with the light headedness and any nausea he would be feeling.

"Wandless magic? You know how to do that?!" Harry asked, suddenly all ears.

"Only spells I've created or known for a long time. It took me forever." Draco spoke with a shrug. He'd figured that Harry could do that by now, he was one of the best wizards in the world. Neville smiled and pat his back, albeit less roughly than Seamus had done earlier. This was something Draco wasn't used to. He wasn't accustomed to getting drunk with "the guys" at the pub. Or joking with people in general.

Getting comfortable finally, Draco took his coat off, noticing it was getting quite warm, and rolled his sleeves up, slightly apprehensive. Neville, sobering up slightly, noticed the marred skin first. He reached over and turned Draco's arm over, glaring at the scars as if it would fix them. Harry then noticed and reached over and trailed his fingers down them. Draco's skin flushed where Harry touched, slightly dull because of the scar tissue and lack of nerves, he could still feel the lightness of the brush.

"How did you do this?" Neville asked, turning his gaze up to Draco's face. It seemed years had helped the once shy and stuttering boy to grow older and speak out.

"I had to get rid of that ugly mark somehow. No one would let me work with it there anyway. I had to scar the tissue around it too, to lower suspicions. It looks like a normal burn wound now." Draco smiled sadly at it, remembering the intense pain it caused the day he'd done it. It was a day off, and he'd called Dean into his office to make sure that someone was there before trying a spell that could have back fired.

"You're skin was so smooth before that." Harry murmured in response.

"Yeah but no one looking for a safe place, to rest and heal, would ever want their Head Healer to have that bloody thing on their arm. It had to go." Draco said with finality. The conversation died then, leaving both Neville and Harry to wonder to what extent Draco would go to get rid of his past guilt. He'd scarred his own body, submitted to a life of loneliness, and focused all of his time on helping others. This was not the Malfoy any of them knew. This was a broken man trying to make amends. Neville glanced at his watch and said that he needed to leave to make sure he could wake up in time to open shop. Harry rose to walk him out, however Draco said his goodbyes from the table and made his way up to the counter. It was then that the waitress from before wandered back over to him.

"I see your friends have left. It must be great to be friends with Harry Potter." She smiled, leaning in close to where Draco sat. He glanced at her, made a mental comment about how much make-up she wore, and sighed.

"They aren't really my friends. It would be great if they were but I can't possibly be one of their friends. They are all great people and I'm just the mistake that should have died. You know what, I'm sorry, I'm getting really sappy and I probably should leave." Draco ground his teeth, realizing that he'd had enough alcohol for one evening.

"Heading out so soon? I was hoping to catch up more." Harry called, having placed some money on the table.

"I really need to clear my head actually. I'm not good company right now." He hurried out the door and into the colder air, realizing that he'd left his jacket on the back of his chair. Too determined to leave he figured he'd get it later and made his way a few streets over to where a park was. He had his wand tucked into his waist band out of sight and he kept his hands in his pockets. It was chilly, however the alcohol in his system made his whole body feel warm, keeping him from freezing. Finding a free bench he sat down, spread his arms out over the back of it and threw his head back. He had too much going on in his head to notice that he wasn't alone anymore.

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There is a lot going on in this chapter but it should regulate after a bit. I'm not very good with drama, so I hope this was as dramatic as it was in my head. I decided to post this after I'd already started working on the next chapter, and so I should post the next chapter in less than a week. Yell at me if I don't. This is the new end of chapter one, thank you to the guest reviewer who gave me some great advice! I should have fixed a few of the issues that had been there before, and I hope it helps other people int he future! Stay Shiny, People!


	2. In the Fateful Moonlight

Again, this is now the new chapter 2! So if you have read this far, I will have chapter 3 up this week! If I do not, feel free to yell at me through messages and reviews until I post it! Lynn 3

I don't own Harry Potter still, even if I wish I did!

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It wasn't until he'd heard the crunching of leaves and felt a hand on his shoulder that he realized he'd been joined by the other man.

"Mind if I join you?" Harry asked, startling Draco nearly out of his seat. After taking a few calming breaths he shook his head and moved over.

"Why did you split so fast?" Harry asked, already sort of sure of the answer but wanting to hear it from his companion.

"Something the waitress had said. Scratch that a bunch of things everyone has said. Its nothing you said wrong, mind you, just problems I have with myself." Draco muttered, unconsciously running his hand over the scars on his forearm. Harry watched the action and understood. Draco saw no value in his living. Harry watched the man next to him for a moment, appraising his hair, messy and unruly yet neater than his own, glancing at the contours of his face and torso. For a man who spent a lot of time locked up in a hospital he was in great shape. Harry had always somewhat found Draco attractive. When they were younger it was less so, because the child looked strange with his hair slicked back, but as he got older and figured things out for himself the unruly and unshaven look suited him. His eye had bags however, and the blue they had in them had dulled so much. He looked at least 10 years older than 23, and his whole demeanor spelled depressed.

"You know, I don't agree with you. You are young, single, with a highly important job within years of having graduated from school, in a place where you would never have expected. You have shut yourself away from people because of fear of things that happened in the past. Both Dean and Seamus accepted you, and Ginny accepted you readily." Harry spoke, starting to work himself into a tangent.

"You don't give yourself enough credit mate. Think about all the things you've accomplished over the years. In such little time you've helped countless people from things as small as broken bones to complete petrification reversal. Don't think I didn't hear about that, I was on that case." Harry put his finger over Draco's mouth, as if the blonde man was going to speak. Draco flushed again under the Auror's touch and went to pull his head back, however the still slightly drunk Harry placed both of his hands on Draco's face.

"You have a face any man would die for, and you're eyes are a piercing blue. You look like some Greek God playing mortal. It isn't fair for the rest of us." He spoke, his breath falling towards Draco smelling of alcohol and licorice. Draco felt torn. His attraction towards this man was hard to deny, and he didn't want to, however he couldn't tell what Harry was feeling, seeing as how the drunk man was all over the place.

"Hey, let me walk you home. You're drunk." Draco stood, pulling his face from Harry's hands and offering his own to help him stand. Harry accepted it and allowed himself to be pulled up from the bench.

"I live this way." He said, leading Draco towards where he lived. The walk was quiet, a pleasant change from the suddenly talkative duo. Draco followed obediently knowing that as soon as the dark haired man was sober the familiarity would go down from pleasantly friendly to civil at best. He wanted to make the most out of the niceties while he had the chance. From behind Draco could see the nape of Harry's neck, and he wanted to reach out and touch it, but nothing could bring him to do it, whether they were walking and holding hands or not. He realized that tomorrow would be another long day, and he realized that everything would go back to as it was. A sigh escaped his lips, but when Harry turned around he covered it with a smile that wasn't too forced, and wasn't too quick. Somewhere in his heart he felt it flutter, and a small panic set in over him. He hadn't developed affections for anyone in years, having been rejected by his once friend Blaise, albeit indirectly, and attempting to cover his preference by dating Astoria Greengrass. That however ended up with his girlfriend going out with his crush, and the rest is history. He glanced at the back of Harrys head again. His hair was as unruly as it had ever been, and longer than before, only slightly. His shoulders were broader than they were in school, and from having healed the man from head to toe he knew that the boy had filled out nicely. Draco pulled himself from his thoughts as he arrived back at a familiar home. He couldn't believe that Harry was living in Grimauld Place. The apartments slide apart to reveal the seemingly less decrepit house. Harry nodded to himself and led Draco up to the front door.

"I've worked on it in the last few years, what with no one living here except me." He spoke, unlocking the door and walking inside. Draco looked around, and from what he'd remembered from his childhood, before the Blacks and the Malfoy's entirely separated, and the drab decorations had been removed. He could appreciate the now beige colored walls, with paintings that moved covering the glaring spaces. It was brighter, and looked lived in and cared for. Harry sighed heavily and dropped onto the settee that sat in front of the fire. Draco raised an eyebrow at that and sat in the armchair across the way.

"Why don't you join me over here? I haven't offended you have I?" Harry asked sitting up and swinging his long legs down and to the floor. Draco smirked and moved over to sit on the same side as Harry. In turn the shaggy haired man flopped into Draco's lap. Draco tensed up at the sudden contact in a very intimate area of his anatomy. He was no stranger to the same sex. Nor the opposite for that matter however his preference was strongly towards the first. He had had multiple one-night stands over the years, finding the release better than anything lengthy. Sticking to muggle bars where no one would recognize him, and never going to the same place twice, he got what he needed without the drama. However, laying across his lap was one of the worlds most famous men. He was every magazines go to write, whatever story they could come up with. Draco knew that if anything happened tonight, not that he would allow it to, it would be plastered all over the magazines and newspapers first thing in the morning. Everyone's golden boy seen with a former Dark side supporter?! Draco shook his head violently, causing the sleepy and drunk other man to look up at him from behind his glasses.

"Now your hairs out of place!" Harry fussed, reaching up to run his fingers back over Draco's ruffled hair. He laughed and moved the other man's hands back to himself.

"Where is the loo?" He asked, inching himself out from under the dark haired mans head.

"Down that hall on the left, next to the kitchen." Harry drawled, obviously used to giving that very same instruction. Draco nodded and followed the instructions, however instead of using the W.C. he made his way to the kitchen. Once there he quietly ransacked the place looking for ingredients for a sleeping potion. Draco did not want to end up in a bad situation with Harry, having just made up with him after so many years. Once he'd procured all that he needed, Draco brewed his potion, making sure to blend in nicely into a cup of black tea, he brought that out to Harry, carrying his own cup.

"Hope you don't mind that I also used your kitchen for some tea." Draco placed the tea down onto the end table next to Harry, who snatched it up as soon as it wasn't being held and took a large gulp from it.

"I honestly never thought you'd be able to brew your own tea." Harry joked and polished off the tea in seconds. Draco nodded, keeping an eye on Harry and watching for the signs of drowsiness. Within moments of putting the teacup down Harrys head lolled forward and almost pitched him into the table if Draco hadn't grabbed the man into his arms. Draco found that Harry wasn't as heavy as he might have thought at the mans height, and marveled at how easy it was for him to pick him up.

"You dumb oaf. I did this for you, as you should know." Draco murmured, not unkindly as he carried Harry up the stairs bridal style and into his bedroom. He placed the man on his bed and immediately pulled his glasses off. He then went to the wardrobe and the dressers and searched for something resembling pajamas. Once he found sweatpants he took to dressing the sleeping man for bed. This he was used to. As much as his fellow healers and assistants informed him that it was not his job to dress and help to bathe patients however he knew that it would make healing easier. Having changed Harry into something better to sleep in than his hoodie and jeans, he pulled the duvet over him and left, having put a note on the table to explain to the man in the morning, as well as a potion that he could use to help a hangover if need be. With a sigh, Draco decided to use Harry's floo to get back to his apartment. Undoubtedly he was connected to the floo network, what with his job and everything people needed him to do. Draco stepped into the fire with his powder and flooed back to his own apartment.

Time passed before Draco saw Harry again, and even though he'd tried to leave on good terms, having taken care of the man as a patient, both inside and outside of work, he had seen the looks of disappointment and frustration on the mans face. In times when Draco was healing the Aurors who undoubtedly would show up in the intensive care wing, Harry would give a brief if forced report on the condition of his men and women and then wait in the hall until Draco was done healing to enter the room again. Eventually it began to wear down on Draco, who hadn't wanted to make a mistake that could reflect on his then friend, or at least acquaintance. Nights off were spent in bars around muggle London again, hoping to find some way to forget the looks that he would receive by people he worked with, as well as the ones he'd get from Harry. Many of the nights he was amazed at being able to get back to his apartment in one piece, and many times he'd wake up with pain in some odd place on his body from a fall, or sometimes fights he'd get in. If Harry noticed any changes in the blonde man over those few weeks he'd say nothing about it and carry on his business.

Time had found Draco within another bar, however this one was at Hogsmeade with Neville. On a quick observation that only a professor could have over his children he knew that Draco was not in the right mindset to work with people. The man was volatile to criticism and had obviously been worked harder than ever before.

"Draco, I have an idea. How about I talk to McGonagal and see if she would let you train as a Healer in the infirmary? Poppy has worn herself ragged and would appreciate the help, and I think some familiar terrain would be good for you." Neville threw the idea forward. Draco actually considered the proposal. He needed to get out of an environment where the boy wonder was constantly staring him down as if he'd done something wrong. He'd have explain his dual occupancy to his director, however the man had only good things to say about Draco, and it would be a good chance to get away.

"When could I start?" Draco asked, hoping to meet with the new headmistress of the school as soon as he could. It was a weekend for Hogwarts, and the school year was halfway over already.

"I can probably have you in a meeting within the hour. Unless you'd like to join me in the Castle?" Neville asked, turning his attention towards how grateful Draco had been. It wasn't that Neville knew what was going on for the poor man, however he figured it had something to do with the night he and Harry and snuck off together.

"Is everything alright with you and Harry?" Neville dared to ask. Draco stiffened around his cup of butterbeer.

"We are fine. Professional. He doesn't talk to me any more than he needs to, and I know I blew any chances of us to actually get along." Draco shrugged. He had expected that part of the conversation to occur a lot sooner than it had.

"What happened that night? Did you two do anything?" Neville pried again, knowing that he might be taking things a bit too far.

"Other than me slipping him a sleeping potion in a cup of tea because he was coming onto me, no nothing." Draco snorted, placing his cup down a bit roughly. Neville's eyes widened at that. Draco had done that to Harry?!

"What prompted that?! Why did you do something like that?" He asked. Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which had gotten shaggy in the time between trims.

"I didn't want him to make a mistake that would reflect on him in the future. I am a man who's made his mistakes early, and many people haven't forgiven me, or my family, for what has happened. Now matter how much good I do for this world, people will never accept me for who I am. I can't let my reputation stain all that Harry has worked to prove for people just by sleeping with him. Not only would rumors fly about a relationship with a man, but a relationship with a shamed man who was once seen as a supporter of Voldemort! How could I let something like that happen!" Draco hissed, keeping his voice low enough so that no other patrons of the bar would over hear his conversation. Neville realized in that moment that Draco had used such an action to attempt to protect Harry from the same scrutiny he'd been placed under straight out of school.

"I understand now. I apologize for prying into your life." The professor bowed slightly. Draco awkwardly pat his back to reassure him that he wasn't mad. If anything getting the reason for his actions out in the open made him feel better.

"I'd like to speak with Headmistress McGonagal if that's alright." Draco spoke quietly. Neville nodded and smiled gently at that. 20 minutes later both men stood outside the statue that guarded the office.

"She couldn't bear to change the password, if you couldn't guess it already." Neville laughed.

"Lemon Drops." Draco spoke with a small smile. Dumbledore had been a man he'd feared and respected, having been brought up to view the man as such. The staircase spiraled itself down and they soon stood outside the office. A quick knock and the door creaked open. Minerva McGonagal hadn't changed much in the years after school for Draco had ended. Her robes stayed very similar to how they had been from her time as Head of Gryffindor.

"Mr. Malfoy. It is an unexpected surprise to see you in this school again." She spoke, using his former last name.

"Please, call me Draco. I do not use that last name anymore. It brings too many memories and hard times to me now." Draco spoke, putting his hand out to shake the older woman's hand. She shook it firmly, slightly confused as to why he'd visited her nonetheless.

"I have found some help for Poppy. Draco is the Head Healer at St. Mungo's. He's experiencing a few issues however, and I offered to allow him to speak with you. He would help on his off days, maybe more if he preferred." Neville brought up gesturing to Draco.

"Do you have documentation of your employment? I trust Mr. Longbottom to be telling the truth, however I still insist on accurate documentation before we decide anything." She spoke with a small smile in response. She had nothing against the boy, he had been a problem child however in the end he proved his worth to the rest of Dumbledore's Army.

"I carry it with me in case of emergencies." Draco removed his dragon skin wallet from his pocket and removed his Healers card. It had a picture of him to prove its authenticity, as well as his status and other information.

"If you could start this weekend that would be best. We have a Quidditch match this weekend, and I fear that it will be ugly." Minerva spoke returning his card to him. Draco smiled, wider than he had in a long time, and nodded enthusiastically.

"If you would allow me to floo back to St. Mungo's I can inform my staff of my occupancy. As Head Healer they really don't need me unless its extreme." Draco asked.

"Of course, we are connected in this office." Minerva stepped back and allowed Draco to the fire place.

"St. Mungo's!" He shouted and dropped the floo powder. With a cough he stepped out of the fireplace and made his way to his wing. Dean and Seamus were there as well.

"I have something I need to discuss with you two. I need you to fill in for me for a while. I have decided to help Poppy Pomfrey with the Infirmary at Hogwarts. She has started to slow down, and they are looking to give her some assistance." Draco spoke, pulling the two men into his office.

"That's great! Of course we'll cover here. If we need anything though, we will firecall you if we need to. You won't be out of the floo network will you? I've never seen someone use it at Hogwarts." Seamus spoke, with a confirmation from Dean.

"That's how I got here. I'll be gone for a while but like you said, I'm only a firecall away." He said and glanced out the window to his office, where the door had been left ajar. Harry stood outside, a small shocked expression on his face. Draco swore and charged out of the office after Harry.

"What is wrong? What have I done to you?" Draco called, making sure the hallway was without patients who were sleeping. There was enough of a flurry around him that he wasn't disturbing people.

"What have you done? What do you think you did Draco, you know fully well what you did." Harry turned back, with an angry and hurt expression in his beautiful green eyes. Draco couldn't bring himself to look him in the eye after that moment.

"I didn't intend to hurt you, in fact in my mind I was protecting you. I'm not worthy of anything that you could want and need out of someone. I haven't done enough to earn the trust of the community, and if they saw that there was something, anything, even friendship, between us they would tarnish your reputation and you'd lose everything. Trust me. I know what that feels like." Draco spoke quickly, letting the other man listen to the full thing before he spoke anything. Harry shook his head with an exasperated sigh.

"You're a bloody idiot you know that? People have been deciding things for me since I was young. I am fully capable of dealing with the repercussions of whatever I decide to do. Now you won't even be around." Harry spoke. Draco couldn't keep the feeling in the pit of his stomach from rising to the surface.

"Do you understand what its like to not be respected by others? I've had to work so hard to prove I'm not someone like my father was. You also made it pretty clear for the last month that you wanted little to nothing to do with me after that night at the bar. I figured a time off would be a good idea. I'm starting to think I'm right. Sorry, but I have made my choice. I have to get to work." Draco turned on his heels, something he'd only done when he needed to make a point. He didn't look back, and he didn't want to see the look of hurt on Harry's face. There was nothing between them, other than some bad decisions and a rough history. He packed up what he felt he needed from his office into a bag that had been charmed to have a larger inside, and locked up. Flooing back over to Hogwarts, he realized that Minerva had created a room for him to stay in for as long as he would be there, as well as having sent some elves to clear out a good portion of his personal items from his apartment. They had even brought his poor cat. He scooped up the orange tabby and soothed her with calming pets. He knew that this wouldn't be a forever job, just until they could find another healer. Tomorrow he would need to be prepared to help the children who would get injured during Quidditch. A sport he hadn't played in many years.

Harry couldn't believe what had happened. Draco, who he'd never have believed to have changed in such a way had become a good friend over the course of one evening. And then that evening ended with him getting slipped a sleeping potion and said "friend" had disappeared. The note, which apologized for the crude treatment, and the potion on the table were accepted, however only due to Harry needing the remedy. Draco had been callous and cruel in how he'd treated Harry, and made the decision without Harry's consent. He knew that he'd been drunk, and the sober man had actually made the better decision, however it still irked Harry to know that Draco hadn't been tempted even in the slightest by him. Harry couldn't deny that the very night he'd seen Draco in his casual clothing in that bar, he'd been heavily attracted to him.

Draco had always been attractive. Nobody could really deny this fact, not even Harry's stupid friend Ron. Draco had only gotten more attractive as time went on, however without his hair slicked back, and a relaxed look on his face without a sign of a sneer anywhere Harry had fallen and fallen hard. Draco had hurt Harry and had been hurt by Harry and the man was determined then to do something to at least bring them back together as friends. He was at the point where even having him out of his life was impossible. That weekend he would go to the Hogwarts Quidditch match, that would be a good way to see how things were going. Harry prepared in his head everything that he would do to get ready for taking time off and visit his former school.

Thankfully the curse had been lifted on the Defense against the Dark Arts position, however with the considerable lack of need for the practice after the decline of Voldemort supporters, many students wouldn't find a need for those sort of classes. Harry thought about applying at the school as a teacher, however he didn't know what class he could teach. Maybe they needed a Care for Magical Creatures professor. All he knew was that he was determined to get into the school somehow. Walking into the Aurors office at the Ministry he stalked over to Ron's desk, which was cluttered and piled almost ceiling high with paperwork. Buried somewhere in the middle was a snoozing Ronald Weasley. Assistant Head Auror and right hand man to Harry.

"RON!" Harry shouted, watching as one of the piles of papers shot up and off of his sleeping associate, while three other piles toppled over on top of him.

"Where is the emergency?! Who are we fighting!" He jumped up ready to face any opponent.

"No one Ron. I'm telling you that I am going to take some time off. I haven't done so in a while, thus I am putting you in charge until I get back. If all works out I should be back sometime next summer." Harry spoke, not giving Ron a chance to argue or change his mind by turning and leaving at once. Somewhere in the back of his mind Harry knew he was being irrational. He knew that whatever was causing him to do this was something he'd never really done before. That having been said he cleared out his office of what he'd need and stalked out of the Ministry with a promise to sort out whatever was going down.

Draco sighed, realizing that taking up the job in the infirmary was boring unless something was happening in the school. The Weasley twins left behind a lot of their pranking supplies, so much of what Draco had to do on the average weekday was treat a child for magically caused nausea, boils and many other illnesses. Quidditch wasn't until Saturday this week, which was two days away. Boredom overtook Draco as he drifted off to sleep in his joint office with Poppy. A few giggles from the other room alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone anymore and so he stood up, stretched his back, and made a promise to himself to brew a cup of coffee to wake up more. However with it being around 10 o'clock at night he hadn't expected people

"What can I help you with?" He asked poking his head out into the treatment side of the wing. The group of girls there giggled and pushed one of the group forward.

"I actually wanted to get to know you." She spoke, blushing heavily and not meeting his eyes. Draco sighed quietly and resigned to answering a few questions to cure his boredom.

"What do you want to know?" He asked, pulling up a wheeling chair he'd brought to the office for his desk.

"How old are you?" One of the girls giggled out.

"I turn 26 in the summer." Draco answered in a neutral tone. He had sort of expected a response like this to his presence, young teachers at Hogwarts were a rare occurrence. He observed the girls in front of them, making note that they were probably Third Years, from all four houses. The segregation of the houses ended peacefully it seemed.

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" One girl asked, from Slytherin. She had dark brown hair and bright violet eyes. He narrowed his in response to her eye color.

"I did. I have a question for you, would you happen to be related to Blaise Zabini?" He asked her. The girls eyes widened at the question.

"He's my cousin! Our mothers were twins so we look alike!" She smiled. Automatically he was reminded of Blaise. The boy he'd gone to school with and had a small crush on for some of that time.

"I was in the same year as your cousin, same house as well." Draco smiled, watching the girls start to get nervous.

"Sir Draco! We need medical assistance now!" Poppy came charging into the infirmary with another person closely following carrying a small looking student, probably a first year.

"What happened? Update, now!" Draco demanded, taking charge right away, as he was used to.

"We found him wandering around by the forest, it seems he got bitten by something." The other voice responded, one that sounded distinctly like Harrys. Draco ignored them for the moment, focusing on the child, and where it seemed they were hurting. He pulled the shirt up and ripped what was left off as he assessed the wounds. What seemed to be claw marks ran down the child's front, with a large bite mark on his side.

"I need a poultice of silver and dittany. NOW!" He shouted, stopping what bleeding he could with gauze and soft towels. Footsteps ran away and within two minutes came back. In a large bowl that was presented to him, Draco saw just what he needed. He'd treated many werewolf wounds in his day, and this was no different. Harry's hand reached towards the poultice and he touched it gently as if interested in its properties.

"How did you know it was a werewolf?" Harry asked hesitantly, he was holding his arm to his body in a gentle way, suggesting he was nervous. Draco was aware of Remus Lupin and his relationship to Harry, and knew that treading lightly would be best.

"The wound pattern. It is typical for a werewolf inflicted injury. I need you to help me spread the poultice over the wounds, it's the only way to heal them." Draco said with a touch of urgency in his voice. He wanted to tell Harry that he had treated them before and that this child would never live his life normally again, however he couldn't bring himself to do it. As the poultice was being applied, Draco watched them close slowly but surely, reassuring him that he'd made the right diagnosis. Harry sighed as well knowing that this boy's life was never going to be the same.

"By the way, why are you here? How did you find him?" Draco turned and asked Harry, who in turn had a guilty look on his face, Draco also then noticed that Harry was pulling his robes tighter around his black shirt, fiddling with the hems.

"I'm the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher now, the other man had quite out of anxiety. And I accidentally Apparated into the forest and he was there." Harry answered, not meeting Draco's gaze. Harry wasn't lying, the kids this year had given the man an anxiety attack, and Harry happened to be the next best choice. It was also still known that apparating directly to the grounds was extremely hard. Draco sighed and ran a bloodied hand through his hair. Harry stifled a surprised noise at this. The boy who had never so much as gotten a speck of dirt on him in all his years at this school just put blood in his hair? Realizing his tired mistake Draco turned to Poppy.

"You have it from here right? May I shower?" He asked.

"Of course Draco. You may, I haven't been doing this for over 40 years for nothing you know." Poppy smirked and took over the boys treatment so Draco could shower. He walked through the hallways of Hogwarts until he'd reached the 7th floor and opened the door to his rooms. Harry had followed casually, taking in the unchanged sights of his former school. Harry hadn't finished his 7th year, opting to go straight into working for the Ministry. Draco sighed and gestured around.

"If you need anything from the rooms I can call an elf to bring it, we have access to the kitchens late." He spoke leaving Harry to work out the rooms for himself. The room that Draco had been given was similar to an apartment. It had a kitchen area a living area along with the bathrooms and the bedrooms. Harry had only seen Slughorns rooms before when he was at Hogwarts, having never really seen the others. Wandering around he discovered that a majority of the items in the rooms were from Hogwarts rather than Draco. A curious fact. Slowly a tune started to come out of the bathroom and Harry realized that Draco was singing in the shower.

Draco, as much as he wished he weren't as comfortable knowing the man he'd had a great appreciation for was in his living room, he found himself singing in the shower. It started off with just humming however eventually the words worked their way out. He washed whatever blood had been in his hair and stepped out of the shower to dry off when he realized that he'd left the laundry in the living room to fold. Draco stood there for a moment in complete shock. He hadn't expected guests, so he'd told himself he would get to the laundry when he got off his shift that day.

"Damn…..Harry!" Draco called, realizing he really hadn't said Harry's name, his first one at least, in a very very long time.

"Draco? Is there something wrong?" Harry asked by the door. Draco blushed at how his name sounded coming out of Harry's mouth. A swift pinch to his leg shook him of what he'd been thinking and he opened the door slightly letting his shoulder and head poke out.

"I left my towels by the kitchen table, I don't have any here right now." Draco muttered.

"I'll get you one." Harry stated and turned to grab a towel wincing slightly. Draco couldn't hide his embarrassment from Harry, who blushed slightly while handing the towel to Draco. Draco returned to the bathroom, and began to dry himself off. Harry took that time to ask an a few things of the house elves, all of whom were grateful to see "Master Potter" back.

"I need one of you to grab me another shirt that looks like this, medium if you can. I also need you to grab a few of the dinners from tonight, I'm starving and I know he is too. Please don't let him know that I'm changing." Harry instructed quickly, telling them to put it on a rush. Within moments of putting the request out 4 house elves had brought everything Harry had asked. The request for the shirt was because both Harry's blood and the young boys blood was on it, and it had a tear in the side, easily covered by his robes, which were self repairing by magic, so he'd hid them as long as he could. Using a quick spell that locked Draco in the bathroom for a moment longer, Harry proceeded to change and sit at one side of the small table, which was set for dinner. Draco exited the bathroom with his hair still wet, and a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He glanced at the table, astonished that it was set for two.

"You didn't have to prepare food for me, I can call it myself." Draco smiled and sat down across from Harry, who smirked back.

"You did a lot today, for me and the boy, the least I can do is make your life a little easier." Harry commented. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about his new problem, along with how it would affect his job, however it seemed vaguely ironic that he would be teaching defense against the dark arts just like Lupin had done. Draco nodded, albeit suspiciously. Harry was wearing a different shirt than he had been before. It was similar to the first one, however this one had a design inside the collar while the other did not. Knowing that if something had happened Harry would tell him he didn't think about it too much.

Dinner went well, while Harry asked about the changes to Hogwarts since he'd been gone from it. Draco was glad to see that at least the black haired man was talking to him like normal again, even though he'd pursued him all the way to a new job. Harry had avoided talking about the fight in the forest, which alarmed Draco because he shouldn't have any reason to hide anything from him. When he pressed the issue Harry just said he'd talk with him later about it. Draco finally dropped it after realizing he'd get nothing out of the stubborn black haired man.

Harry was extremely worried. He'd gotten back onto the good side of Draco, even just barely, and he didn't want to lose the status he had with him over something like creature issues. When Harry rescued the boy, he'd been bitten on the side as well. It wasn't a deep bite, and it wasn't a hard bite, but it broke skin and it did what the werewolf had set out to do. Harry was going to be a werewolf.

As much as Draco had renounced his title as heir to the Malfoy line, as well as any pride he had as a pureblood, Harry couldn't count on the opinion of creatures having changed. When they were in school Draco did his best to let everyone know how he felt about magical creatures, half-breeds, and anyone else who wasn't pure. That having been said he has changed over the years, Harry didn't hold much faith.

Draco knew something was wrong and he would get to the bottom of it, even if it was breaching Harry's privacy to do it.

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There you have it! The official end of chapter two! I didn't change anything from the chapters themselves, but I did add a sentence to the beginning to make the transition a little smoother. As of now, I'm almost done with the third chapter, so I should get that out soon, as I said before! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and again I must thank the guest reviewer for giving me some pointers! As always, stay shiny!


	3. Changes Approach

HERE IT IS! I TOLD YOU SO! Alright bragging aside, I have it finished and put together! This is chapter three! I am so happy to be moving forward in this story you have absolutely no idea! There is some fluff in it, and while I don't go into as much detail as I could, I will in the future, so the rating of the story will probably move towards M in the future. This will in no way be a smutty story, and nor will it be anything without love. I'm happy with this chapter, and while it seems a bit rushed thats how my mind works so just imagine how difficult it was for me to sit down and write for extended times. I love to just watch my own imagination play out and half the time I just don't write it down XP. Annnyyhooo, here you are my lovely readers! _I do not own Harry Potter, and this lovely story can only come to be thank's to J.K. Rowling!_

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Harry had been laying awake in Draco's bed for about an hour when a loud bang alerted him of something going on in the other room. He jumped up, grabbed his wand and burst through the door, to find a half naked Draco stumbling through the room almost blindly.

"Hey, Draco, mate what's wrong?" Harry asked, reaching for the man in front of him. He noticed that while Draco's eyes were open they seemed almost glazed over. It was then that Harry realized that his friend was sleepwalking, and muttering to himself.

"Don't, don't torture them. Don't hurt them! LEAVE ME ALONE." Draco's deep voice bellowed, filled with pain. Harry threw his arms around him immediately, pulling the other man into his chest and holding him there while quiet sobs escaped his open mouth. Harry held him there until he quieted down, realizing that he'd fallen back into a peaceful sleep. Harry sighed, picking up the smaller man with what seemed like practiced ease and walked back to the bedroom. It seemed that a change in sleeping location set the man off, and he'd probably had a nightmare the first night he'd slept at Hogwarts. The new scars on Harry's body throbbed slightly, nothing he couldn't handle but he knew that there was no way he would be the same after that fight. He'd Apparated into the Forest, finding a student who had been practicing spells after hours (much like he used to). Not a moment after however he'd heard growling from behind them in the trees, and a giant wolf, not unlike how Lupin looked when he changed, came charging through the brush.

Instinctively Harry protected the young boy, and received a slash wound and a bite in the process. It knocked him aside and went after the boy, who received similar but worse wounds. Harry healed his as best as he could, not remembering that wounds inflicted by werewolves could only be healed with a special poultice. He shot a binding curse at the creature, and sent his Patronus to Ron, who would clean up everything while Harry grabbed the boy and ran. He wasn't sure what happened after that, all he knew was that he was fucked. Having run into the infirmary seeing Draco surrounded by young girls had set Harry on an unnecessary jealous path, even while being aware that Draco more likely than not saw no interest in them whatsoever. Harry glanced down at the man now clutching his arm in his sleep and sighed. The Draco in front of him was smaller, which was strange for Harry, because Draco had always been the taller of the two. Realizing that he wasn't going to let go any time soon, Harry tucked into the sheets and closed his eyes.

That morning Draco woke up more comfortable and warm than he had in years. He felt rested, and when he moved to get up, he realized that there was something wrapped around both his waist and his chest. Pulling the blanket up slightly and glancing under it he found muscular arms bound tightly around him. Draco glanced over his shoulder, finding one Harry Potter asleep soundly, black hair scraggly from bed head, and no glasses on his face. Draco stopped, at first believing that Harry had snuck into his bed in the middle of the night, but then remembering that he'd been sleeping on the couch, while Harry had the bed. A blush crept up on Draco's face, and he could feel it all the way to his ears. As he moved to get up, the strong arms that were wrapped around him pulled him back tighter and let out a deep sigh onto Draco's neck. A shiver went down his spine and Draco knew then and there that sleeping in the same bed as this man was dangerous. Yet so damned comfortable.

"Fuck…" Draco muttered to himself, having put his hands on Harry's arms to try and pull them off, realizing it would do him no good due to the size of them. The boy he knew from Hogwarts was no longer short and skinny. The man he was snuggled up into was tall, tan, fit and sexy as fuck while asleep. Let alone while awake. Draco forced himself to move, replacing the space he had been in with a pillow and jumping into the shower while he had the chance. As he stripped off his pajamas he couldn't help but wonder how he'd ended up sharing a bed with Harry, and while he knew there was a reason, he hadn't expected it. Not wanting to admit it however, he enjoyed sharing the bed. The water running over his body helped to warm him up but also helped him to wake up as he mentally prepared for the days game of Quidditch. Working the shampoo into his hair and starting to scrub his body, the door to the bathroom opened up. In walked a very sleepy, and very sexy looking Harry. Draco glanced through the curtain and balked at the other man. He seemed to have no shame whatsoever.

"So that's where you went. I thought you ditched me again." Harry muttered, his voice deeper with grogginess.

"You're sleeping in my quarters, I couldn't ditch you if I tried. How did I end up in bed with you?" Draco asked, smiling out at the sleepy man.

"You were sleepwalking and having a nightmare. I carried you to your bed but you wouldn't let go of my arm." He responded, trying in vain to run a brush through his tangled mass of hair. Draco sighed, hoping that hadn't happened in front of Harry, however accepting that he'd gotten help for it.

"Mind if I shower after you? I need to somehow fix my hair." Harry asked, attempting then to remove the brush from his hair. Draco chuckled and grabbed the towel from where it had been left the night before and wrapped it around his waist. Some part of him wanted to tease Harry, and he knew this would do the job.

Harry was working on pulling the brush from the side of his head unsuccessfully when Draco stepped out of his shower, wearing only a towel around his waist and water dripping down his body. Harry's hand froze by his head, and his eyes widened. Draco's body was lean with tight muscles under pale white skin. He seemed fairly hairless, with only a patch of platinum blonde hair running underneath his navel disappearing below the towel. His hair was slicked back by water and he still had the stubble that seemed his new style. Harry felt his body responding to the drenched man in front of him, and slowly moved his hands over where his erection was inevitably showing.

"I'll pass a towel in for you." Draco spoke, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was naked and walking past Harry. Once the door closed Harry sank down onto the toilet and groaned, feeling his arousal in the pits of his stomach. Living with Draco was going to kill him. The water was still running in the shower, and as Harry stripped off the clothes he wore to bed, he knew he wasn't going to get ride of the erection without doing something about it but in Draco's shower it seemed out of the question. At the same time he could put a silencing spell over the shower and work from there.

Draco stood in his kitchen, fully clothed hair slightly damp, and a huge smile plastered onto his face. He'd seen the reaction that Harry had when he glanced in the mirror. His eyes widened when he'd seen Draco, and that was a reaction Draco was glad he didn't miss. Harry walked into the room twenty minutes later, while Draco was making breakfast.

"Tea?" Draco asked, pouring hot water into a mug and placing it in front of Harry, who still looked significantly asleep.

"Yeah, got early grey?" Harry asked.

"Of course I do, its my favorite." Draco smiled and passed a tea steeper and the container of tea to Harry. Placing two plates on the table and sitting down, Draco realized that Harry wouldn't quite meet his eye. He smiled to himself and dug into his eggs. He was expected to set up the medical tent around 8, and it was 7:30. A smile rose onto Draco's face, thinking about his taunting again. He knew that Harry was going to get him back somehow, and it was going to be similar to what Draco had done, something he looked forward to.

"I have to get ready for Quidditch now, you can come help if you'd like." Draco stood, having finished his meal and was putting the dishes in his sink when two hands placed themselves on either side of Draco's hips on the counter, and warmth radiated into his body. Harry wasn't touching Draco, however the proximity did enough to him.

"I didn't take you as a coy person Draco. But know, I'm not a patient man, nor am I one to back down from a challenge." Harry's voice resounded in Draco's ear, making the man blush harder than he'd ever blushed, and it sent more than just shivers through his body. Draco could hear the smirk in Harry's voice, and even worse, he knew that if he showed any reaction that he'd lost. Turning around where he stood, Draco smiled at Harry.

"I'd expect nothing less." And pecked him on the nose. Harry hadn't worn his glasses to the table, and his hair had covered a portion of his face, however both of his mesmerizing emerald green eyes shown through, in shock and want. Draco ducked under Harry's arm, and walked out of the room attempting to exude confidence, however believing he looked like a fool. A blush had formed on his face, which he attempted to calm as he changed into a nice looking mint green button up shirt and black trousers. Draco ran his fingers through his hair, which was getting longer again, and used a small amount of gel, only to keep it from falling into his face. He grabbed his wand and put it in his pocket, before turning to find Harry standing in the doorway.

"I'll be up in a bit. I'm not a morning person." He spoke, with a small smile and made his way over to where his robes were. Draco nodded about to leave, but stayed a moment to observe Harry. He wore a simple T-shirt, which Draco wouldn't call simple because of the way it stretched slightly over Harry's chest and around his arms, however was slightly looser towards his waist, and jeans. While Draco knew that Harry normally hadn't had a sense of style, he figured that had been remedied over the years.

Harry realized the opportunity in front of him when Draco didn't immediately leave the room. He pulled his shirt over his head using one hand, and began to summon up the shirts he'd brought along with him, when a delicate but skilled hand placed itself on his side. Right where the wound had been. It didn't hurt any more, and because of Harry's strong magic the poultice took well, and the wound looked at least two years old.

"How did this happen?" Draco asked, hand still touching his scar. It was large, and marred the skin. Something Harry wasn't too pleased about however he'd just added it to the list.

"Particularly mean dog. I mean it, this dog had gone rabid in Knockturn Alley and we were sent for it. Took the bite before someone else could." Harry answered. He relied on the fact that Draco hadn't really been outside of work for years, and it seemed to have worked, as Draco let his hand trail across Harry's back, where the scars he'd had for as longer than any except the one on his forehead.

"And these?" Draco asked, his breath tickling the skin of Harry's back.

"I would rather not say now. We can talk after Quidditch about them." Harry stepped forward slightly, pulling himself away. Draco's hand followed him, but he knew when not to press the issue, and stepped back, hand sliding off of Harry.

"You're right. I'm sorry for being nosy. I hope to see you at the pitch mate." Draco pat his back and walked away, grabbing his wallet off of the table in the living area as he passed. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to be a long day. After getting himself dressed he decided to grab some food before heading over to the medical tent, giving himself some time to think. Draco had flirted with him that morning. He didn't seem intimidated by Harry's challenge comment and even stepped right up to it. That was some of the old Draco coming back, not the bad one, but the cocky and confident one. The one that Harry wanted to see mixed with the kind and thoughtful Draco he knew now. If anything could be learned from the morning, it was that Draco wasn't getting away this time. Harry would be sure about it.

Draco smiled while walking on his way down to meet Poppy. He'd passed students in the hallway, many of them giving him a greeting politely, or asking him what he was doing that day. It was a lot more pleasant than people splitting the hallway and avoiding him at all costs. Looking back on his time at Hogwarts, Draco couldn't help but feel that he'd acted like a complete git to most of his fellow students. He marveled at how little the school itself had changed. Other than the fact that he wasn't looking at it as a student, the school had been rebuilt very much the same as before. Closing his eyes for a moment to take in the smell of the school once again, he ran smack into someone else rounding the corning. Catching whoever he'd run into, Draco apologized.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." He spoke, righting the person, who had long blonde hair only a little darker than his own, back to her feet.

"Oh, that's quite alright Draco. I was marveling at how the Nargles seem to have left Hogwarts. How are you Draco?" A spaced out voice responded. Her voice was high pitched, with a slight airiness to it, and Draco knew who it was immediately.

"I am doing well, and yourself Luna?" He asked, a small smile on his face. This was one of the people who no matter how he treated her she never seemed to think bad of him. She never seemed to think bad of those who bullied her back when she was in Ravenclaw either.

"I am doing splendid. Preparing my class for a trip into the Forbidden Forest. Since most of them haven't seen anyone die they won't see the Thestrals, I hope to see a blast ended skrewt or two. Hagrid accidentally let a few loose last year, and that could easily mean breeding." Luna spoke in her spaced out but focused way. Draco knew she was the new Magical Creatures professor after they had gotten out of school, however he hadn't seen much of her around. The blonde haired woman was also somewhat of a psychic. At least Draco thought so. She was always able to tell a persons true character, and was never one to judge others.

"If you need someone strong to go along with you Harry is here as well, he's starting as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Draco offered, knowing that Harry would be glad to see his friend again.

"Thank you Draco. I will keep that in mind. And watch out for any Nargles. I haven't found any yet, but they are usually somewhere." She smiled in her curt manner and almost skipped off. Draco chuckled to himself, marveling at how little that girl had changed. She was older, that was for sure, and he knew from the students that her classes were always a favorite for everyone, mostly because of their teacher who seemed to be slightly crazy. Finally he met with Poppy and the work for Quidditch began. Draco began to prepare most of the potions they would need, mostly skelegrow. Draco pulled his wand out preparing for any injuries that would require more invasive magic. Harry had wandered up not too long after, his hair brushed away from his face, showing not only his scar but his glasses as well. He wore a red sweater and jeans over trainers, and even though it was a casual look, it was sexy to Draco.

"Mr. Potter! Glad to have you're help. I would require Draco to go onto the field to retrieve injured students, however with you here we can both focus on our healing." Poppy smiled, and explained Harry's job to him. The match today was between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, and while Draco held no affinity towards a house, he still felt inclined to cheer for his former one. Harry proceeded to chat with Poppy until the match started. Luckily only one injury occurred through the whole match, to one Slytherin beater, who looked away for one moment and the bludger hit him in the stomach. Once brought to the medical tent however the boy forgot all about his injury to speak with Draco, about how school was back when he was there. Draco opted to not speak about how bad things really had been, and chose to talk about classes, all while running a few diagnostic spells and proceeding to give the boy skellegrow for a fractured rib. The boy was then sent back to his dormitory, with instructions to be careful and not over exert himself.

Three weeks had passed at Hogwarts, and while Draco was becoming accustomed to the flow of student sicknesses and fluctuating schedules, he was also growing accustomed to sharing an apartment with Harry. They had toned down the teasing, due to stress on both sides, and were both content sharing a bed at night. However in the last few days Draco was noticing that Harry was getting more and more easily irritated. He'd thought about turning to Neville to see if this was normal, however he never had the opportunity. Draco was walking with Harry to the breakfast in the morning when they met up with Luna in the hallway. She walked up to them with her usual smile, however she was met by a scowl from Harry.

"A good morning to both of you." Luna said, walking in front of them and turning her head over her shoulder.

"Good morning Luna." Draco smiled back, wondering what had gotten into his roommate to cause him to scorn even Luna's company.

"Harry, you seem unwell." She spoke, turning around entirely to face the two men.

"Do I? I hadn't noticed." Harry snapped back, fighting to keep himself from getting more irritated.

"Maybe it's the moon. Professor Lupin exhibited the same thing when he was here. Maybe you could seek help from Draco. I heard that he has a Mastery over Potions." She spoke, turning to go on ahead of them. While she was hard to figure out, Luna's insight and instinct had helped them many times before. Draco turned to Harry to see that his face had gone white, and he looked scared.

"That's what it is, isn't it. Oh bloody hell Harry." Draco muttered, grabbing the slightly larger man's arm and dragging him back to the rooms they shared.

"You will sit here, and I will be back in a moment, I am running to the potions room." Draco said, more angry with himself than Harry because he hadn't realized the signs when they were presented.

"Draco! Wait!" Harry shot up, looking guilty.

"What, Harry." Draco turned to him, still beating himself up over not noticing.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do." Harry admitted, sinking back down to the couch. Draco felt his heart swell for the scared man in front of him.

"I'm sorry as well. I'm not mad at you. I should have realized what was happening, as a healer. And as your friend." Draco placed a kiss on the top of Harry's head and turned on his heels to get the ingredients for a wolfsbane potion. He knew that Harry would rather stay where he wasn't going to destroy anything, however the potion would help to subdue the animosity of the wolf inside him. Draco was determined to help his friend. No matter the cost.

Harry sat alone in the room, still marveling over the fact that Draco was going to help him. He had been dreading this time since the first day it happened, and while he had informed his class that he would be away for maybe two days, he realized that he didn't have a replacement for those days. It was maybe ten minutes later when Draco stalked back into the living space with a cauldron full of supplies.

"I will be brewing this today, and up until the night before you change you will take one vial a day. It will help. It won't taste very nice I'd imagine, but if you shoot it like firewhiskey you won't notice." He smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling slightly. Harry felt relieved then, that Draco was still his friend. A friend he realized he was getting closer and closer to. They had been sharing the bed at night, and while Draco seemed to be content with that, Harry had wanted to do so much more with the man he lived with. While Draco was the smaller of the two men, that did not mean in any way that he was a small person. Harry had shot up in height after Hogwarts, having gone from a short skinny boy to a broader and taller, 187.96 centimeters to be exact, and while he was taller, Draco still went up to about his nose. Harry walked around behind Draco as he was working, wrapping his arms around him and putting his head on top of the blonde.

"Thank you." Harry smiled, and then let go, moving back to the couch to take a small nap.

"I'll be taking over you're class for a few days, while you can't teach." Draco spoke, still working over the potion. Harry knew that it was a very difficult potion to make, and only a master could produce one successfully.

"Don't you have duties in the infirmary?" Harry asked, a questioning look on his face.

"Poppy has it under control. She has been a healer for a lot longer than I have you know." Draco smirked into his cauldron. Harry nodded, and slipped off to sleep. However, it was not restful in the slightest. Harry found himself running through the woods, breathing hard and feeling terrified of something he couldn't see. He felt his four legs strain to get away from whatever it was, but he knew in the back of his mind and because of his raised guard hairs, that it was catching up. Harry jumped behind a bush, diverting his path at the last second, however as he thought he'd gotten away something clamped onto his shoulder. He bit back a cry and struggled however whatever had him wouldn't let go.

"Harry. Wake up. Love, wake up! HARRY!" Draco's voice broke in and Harry was thrown from his nightmare. He glanced up, finding himself looking into two very worried silver spheres. Draco was kneeling over him by the couch, where Harry had half fallen.

"You were having a very bad nightmare. I let you sleep too long I'm sorry. I've finished the potion. I need you to take the first night." Draco held up a small vial. Harry grabbed it and downed it, feeling the effects almost immediately. When Harry had been changed, for a few days after he was easily disoriented. He could hear things a lot better, and he could see a lot better as well. He'd replaced his lenses with fakes, keeping up the notion that he'd needed them, however finding that he could see perfectly fine without the correction. His sense of smell had increased as well, making it even harder to live with Draco, due to the fact that his scent drove Harry crazy. He smelled of the woods, pine mixed with sandalwood, and then there was something else. A smell that reminded him of the sea. Harry loved it, but he could never really tell Draco why he found himself sniffing his hair in the morning.

The wolfsbane had worked to subdue those senses. He felt moderately human again, not having as much of a reaction to sounds and smells as he did before. However the one smell he was missing was Draco's. It had gotten to be something of a comfort to him, and while it was something that made him crazy with want, it was something he'd associated with home.

Draco's mind was running at a mile a minute. Wondering what he could do to lessen the blow to Harry's mind from the change. The first was always the worst. The wolf was going to be set free, and Draco had no idea where would be best. He knew that he could throw silencing charms and defensive barriers up in their room. That was easy, it was keeping Harry from hurting himself that would be hard. Draco was helpless. Something he didn't like being. Determined to find an answer, he told Harry he would be back soon, and stalked off to McGonagals office. He spoke the password, and knocked on the door to her office.

"Come in." She called.

"I need your advice." Draco said, rather than greeting his Headmistress.

"I'm not sure I have the answer, but go ahead to ask." McGonagal spoke, glancing up from her paperwork.

"I have a friend who recently was changed into a werewolf. How can I help them." He asked, straight forward about what was going on. A shocked expression rose onto the older woman's face.

"This is something you must consult another person for. I know just the person." She smiled, and gestured for Draco to follow her into another room just off of where the office was. In it stood a portrait, empty at the time.

"He should be here soon. Along with another guest." She spoke, leaving Draco to his thoughts. It wasn't a moment before he heard a voice he never thought he would hear again.

"Young Master Draco, it is a pleasure to see you." The voice spoke. Draco's head shot up faster than he ever thought possible, and was greeted by the sight of Dumbledore, inside the picture frame, accompanied by Severus Snape.

"P-Professor! Dumbledore!" Draco spoke, putting a hand over his mouth to cover his shock.

"That it is. What is it you need?" Snape asked in his usual drawling manner.

"I have a friend who was turned into a werewolf. I have no way to help him except brew the Wolfsbane Potion, which I have done. What else can I do? He's going to be alone." Draco asked, speaking quickly.

"I see that you care deeply for this person. May I inquire as to who it is?" Dumbledore asked, a small shine to his eyes.

"Harry Potter sir." Draco said firmly, surprising Snape. Last he had seen the boy, he was brash rude and didn't know when to shut his mouth. The man in front of him was straightforward, however he showed respect for the two men, even while bound to portraits, and true confidence.

"I remember when a group of young men came to Hogwarts. They were loyal only to each other, and did everything they could for their friend who had lycanthropy. They thought they hid themselves well, however when you are an animagi, people can notice." Dumbledore mused, while Snape scowled at the chair next to him.

"Those boys have made their amends, Severus, and have all made their mistakes, for which they have suffered. You have as well." Dumbledore spoke, turning to Snape and patting his shoulder. Draco struggled to follow what was happening at first, once it clicked however he realized that he'd been brewing the potion that could help him for years. Whenever the ministry gets a request for someone to become an animagus, they employ Draco to brew the potion that would show the intended what creature they were to become. If the creature was deemed as dangerous, or if the person did not pass the screening process they could never become an animagus. Draco smiled and thanked both men profusely.

"Also, Draco, please do not inform Potter of our existence yet, we wish to…surprise him." Severus spoke, watching as Draco darted out the door.

Arriving back in the dungeon where the potions closet was, and startling the current Potions professor who was a squirrely man by nature, Draco called back that he would replace the supplies when he could and ran back to his rooms. This would be tricky, and even if he were to do this, he wouldn't be able to help Harry for another month due to the mandrake leaf. Draco sighed and began brewing the potion as he had done many times before. Harry was watching him from the couch, leaning over the back of it with his arms propping him up.

"What potion are you brewing now?" Harry asked.

"Something for sickness, I'm feeling sick." Draco replied, lying to keep this a secret from Harry. Draco knew that it was a difficult process, and the likelihood of him succeeding was less than 50. It took him an hour to brew the potion, having to let it sit and boil for about 30 minutes. Once it was done, he put it in a vial to let it cool. He'd need to do this when Harry wasn't watching him, so he waited until Harry was tucked in bed and promised he'd be there soon. Draco stared at the purple colored potion in front of him. He knew that this would help Harry, but he was nervous he would end up with an animal like a ferret. He knew it was based on personality and nature, however he still feared for what would happen. Even a bird would be better than a rodent. Especially because rodents are food for wolves.

"Well, now's better than never. Bottoms up." Draco muttered, and downed the potion in one gulp. A moment passed before it kicked in, but when it did, it was nothing like Draco expected. His body went limp and he slumped to the table.

Draco was walking through a snow-covered forest. It was quiet, with the occasional crunch under his feet. A clearing came into view up ahead and he turned around entirely to take in the view. He was in a mountain range somewhere, and the view was breathtaking. The silence of the moment was broken by the sound of snow crunching behind him. He turned slowly, hoping beyond hope that whatever was walking behind him was larger than his cat. A small lump formed in his throat. What would he do if his animagus form really was useless to Harry. Like Peter Pettigrew? What if he was something like that? Draco stopped, remembering what he'd told many people before him. Embrace the animal inside you. Don't let fear of what you become rule you. Draco turned entirely and faced his inner animal. Shocking silver eyes met his, and the blonde wolfdog before him watched him stoicly. Draco knelt down in front of the creature with a smile.

"Aren't you just beautiful." He spoke softly. The creature's tail began to wag and he knew then that he'd been accepted. A sigh escaped his lips as his vision fogged. Tomorrow, he'd go to Neville and grab a leaf from the Mandrakes he was growing. One leaf wouldn't be missed. He would claim sickness as his reason for not speaking, and he prayed that Harry had forgotten the process to becoming an animagus. Draco shook the last of the potion off of his body. That night, he rested well knowing that he'd be able to help Harry, even if it took some time. The next morning he found himself in a comfortable position. His head was tucked into Harry's neck with his arms wrapped around the other mans body. It was a Saturday morning and while he knew they didn't have to do anything that day, it was two days before Harry transformed. Draco knew that these next few days were crucial for Harry, and throughout the day Draco was starting to lay down defensive wards. He'd made breakfast for Harry and was preparing for a shower when the other man came stumbling into the living space with a startled expression. Draco turned to ask him what was wrong, when Harry grabbed his face and kissed him. It was quick and then his face was shoved into Harry's shoulder.

"I thought you had left, I couldn't find you." Draco smiled and put his hand on Harry's head, holding him closer. The friendship that they shared had bloomed from acquaintance to life partners. Draco knew that he would never consider Harry as anything less than his best friend, and he hoped that he held that esteem with Harry, without having to compete with Ron.

"I wouldn't leave you. I wanted to make you breakfast." Draco smiled and placed the plate of food, all meat and barely cooked, in front of the other man. He turned to find Harry without his shirt again, the dark hair that always dusted his chest seemed thicker as the days approached the full moon, and the chiseled muscles and that ran down his entire body came to a point at the patch of hair leading down into his pajama pants. Draco turned away, feeling himself lick his lips while using what seemed to be the last of his willpower to resist Harry. He liked the kiss they shared earlier, and wanted it to continue, however he knew that it was a kiss in a moment of desperation, confirming reality as it were.

"Thank you again. I can't seem to be thanking you enough, you've saved my life so many times." Harry spoke, to which Draco had to bite his tongue. Harry had saved Draco many more times than the other way around, and thus far he'd only begun to scratch the surface of repayment. None of the affection and care he'd been giving was out of debt, however he knew that he could do his best to pay Harry back. Draco was making mental preparations for holding the Mandrake leaf in his mouth. Not only could he not speak for the whole time, but he would need to be extremely careful while eating. A sigh escaped his mouth and he knew it would be impossible to hide from Harry unless he could make up an excuse. Not knowing who else to turn to, Draco said that he would be going to visit Luna, and dressed himself in comfortable clothing. He walked out of the castle, knowing that Luna enjoyed being in the area of the forest, and found himself deep within the Forbidden Forest. There he found the strangest creatures. They resembled horses, however they had the wings of bats, and did not whinny.

"Thestrals. They can only be seen by those who have seen death." Luna came over, with a bag hung over her shoulder.

"This is what they look like…" Draco muttered. Luna grabbed his hand and placed something cold and slimy into it.

"This is what they eat." She smiled, tossing a large piece of meat at a thestral near her. One of the creatures dropped down and scooped up the meat into its mouth and ate it.

"You came here to ask me a question didn't you?" Luna turned, her blonde hair being blown slightly by the wind.

"Yes…I did. I need your advice on how to hide the fact that I'm going to be holding mandrake in my mouth for a month." Draco said bluntly.

"Ah yes, producing your animagus form. Well, you could write out for a month, explain that you are visiting family, claim illness, I'm sure you know potions that could cause false illness for a month or so." Luna smiled at him, aware that gears were turning in his mind.

"I do…I couldn't leave for a month and leave Harry here without someone to help him." Draco spoke.

"He wouldn't be alone, however your presence is what has been most calming to him." Luna turned away, pulling an apple out of a different pocket of her bag and taking a bite into it. Draco made a face of mild disgust, mostly for the fact that raw meat and apples did not go together in any way, however said nothing.

"I will do that then, after his change this week is over with and things are normal I'll brew the potion and prepare for a month of laying around and doing nothing." Draco smiled at Luna who looked proud of how she handled their situation.

"Good luck with the classes Luna. You make a great professor." Draco put his hand on her shoulder as he passed her. It was going to be a long night, and Draco hoped that Harry would be able to make it out without any injuries. He had finished the wards in the rooms just before seeing Luna, and that night he promised Harry he would be there when everything was over.

Harry looked at Draco fearfully. He could feel the wolf trying to break free, however it was a lot less pressing than it would have been had he not been taking the wolfsbane potion like Draco had instructed. The blonde haired man in front of him meant so much more than he'd ever imagined, and the fact that he was still helping meant that Harry wasn't going to lose him just yet.

"I'll be in this room. Don't expect to be doing anything for the next few days because you will need to recuperate. I will be handling your classes. Do not worry." Draco spoke reassuringly, glancing at the grandfather clock that rested against the wall. The moon would be out soon, and Draco had secured the bedroom to be used as Harry's "holding cell".

"I'm nervous." Harry admitted, running his hands through his hair. Draco smiled and put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"The boy who lived, nervous about this? Posh, this will be a walk in the park." Draco used his thumb to rub small circles over Harry's collar bone. Tomorrow Draco would be getting the Mandrake leaf, and the day after that, he'd take the potion that would put him down for a month. He'd found one that wouldn't counteract the Mandrake, and should actually help with the effects. This would be a surprise for Harry that Draco was certain he'd never forget.

* * *

There you have it folks! I took extra time going through and editing to make sure it was coherent because when I write late at night it comes out in mumbo jumbo that doesn't seem like english anymore haha. Please tell me what you think! I love to hear what people have to say, and if you have advice or some form of trope or couple or something like that come up in the future, push that little button that says review! Or even better PM me!

In regards to guest reviews. My little sister writes for this website, and she's been receiving some fairly alarming guest reviews, informing her that she should kill herself. She has also told me that she isn't the only person having these problems, so any reviews that are anything other than helpful or supportive in nature will be removed and ignored. She doesn't deserve that treatment, nor does anyone else on this website. It is called **FAN FICTION** for a reason, because it is a creative outlet for those who can see many other ways for the stories already written to go. In my sisters case she isn't very good at coming up with her own original characters, so she enjoy's having a base to use for it.

Thank you for reading, and I apologize for the small rant about guest reviews, it just has gotten to bother me because of what it does to my sister and her self-esteem. Again, thank you to everyone who has supported my writing thus far!

As always...STAY SHINY!


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